Hit The Lights
by WakingUp2Roses
Summary: Miley is living the high life with her three friends Nick, Demi, and Joe, but puts her guard up to most people because of her past. Nick is secretly falling for her, but lives a harmful lifestyle that he doesn't want her to know about or be near. Demi is battling with depression and Joe is trying to find out exactly who he wants to be, not who his father wants him to be. Jemi/Niley
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Red plastic cups were scattered around the penthouse which was crowded by dozens of college students who had the night off and needed to release much needed stress from the finals, that had ended the day before. Miley and Demi were playing a game of pool with Nick and drinking whatever he had gotten for them from the it was, it was strong and tasted surprisingly good, compared to the look of it, a yellowish brown color.

The three had been inseparable, best friends since meeting at Freshmen orientation for college, and since then, they'd been helping each other survive in the large, crowded city of New York. Demi had had been crazy about Nick since the beginning, almost to the point of infatuation. He had known, but had chosen to ignore it. Meanwhile, Miley enjoyed the single life, as did Nick, but they were still both lonely. However, with Nick always being single, Demi thought he was waiting for her to make her a move.

Music was blasting throughout the party-scene as people danced, fondled each other, and other activities, most of them being illegal. The party had been going on for only a few hours, but was already out of hand, the place was trashed and drinks were spilt. Luckily, Nick being the smart liberal arts student that he was, had put all the valuables away. Though truthfully, he didn't have many valuables.

Nick looked at his two best friends, in the dimmed light, and smiled, they were both beautiful, amazing, and smart people who he knew that he was lucky to have. Demi was gorgeous, her curves made any man gawk, but the best part about her was her smile, it was big, bright, and lit up the room, with more brightness than the ball on New Year's. It could give a starving nation hope. But when Nick looked at Miley, his eyes stopped and cascaded down her body. She was stunning, her golden brown hair with blonde highlights and her bright blue eyes made any woman jealous and men swoon. Out of everything about her though, her best feature was her laugh. Her complete, one-hundred-percent genuine laugh. The one he'd heard only a hand full of times in the past few years.

In the early morning, around three, people had cleared out and Miley and Nick were picking up. Miley was collecting all the cups while Nick swept the floor and wiped off the tables. After an hour or so, they were done and had flopped onto the couch, exhausted. Nick looked at Miley who was playing with the ring that was on her right hand ring finger, something she did when she was either bored or nervous. Looking at her face, he cringed when he saw her eyes, it was faint, but he could still see the glint of sorrow, of depression, something that had been there for two years. The mask always partially fell off when they were together, just with each other.

He took her hand in his and she looked at him confused before sighing and snuggling into him. Taking her hand, he lead her to the bedroom and tossed her a pair of pajama pants and a white tee. She changed in his bathroom and came back in to find Nick asleep on the bed. Turning off the light, she got into bed and laid the covers over them, she rested her head on Nick's chest and closed her eyes, joining Nick in the calm surrender of sleep.

In the morning, Miley awoke with a slight headache and groaned. Feeling someone tap her shoulder, she sat up and looked at Nick who held out an Aspirin and a glass of water for her. She took it and swallowed the pill, drinking a bit of water.

"Thanks," she smiled.

He nodded and held out his hand for her once he got off the bed, "breakfast's ready."

Taking his hand, they walked out of the room and into the open kitchen filled with new appliances, a stainless steel fridge, and maple counters and cabinets. The aroma of eggs and bacon filled the air and she inhaled deeply. Sitting down in a wooden dining room chair that Demi and Miley had picked out, like everything else in the penthouse, she started to eat the warm, mouthwatering breakfast that Nick had cooked before she'd gotten up. Nick sat next to her and took a sip of the hot latè that he'd brewed for the both of them.

A hollow laugh escaped Miley's lips and she shook her head, nudging Nick's arm, "I can't believe you have your own latè machine, Mr. Coffee Addict." She took a sip of it and licked her lips, making Nick chuckled, "you don't seem to be complaining."

"Because it's too good to complain," she laughed shaking her head, "I just can't believe you spent two hundred dollars on a brewer when you're so conscious about money."

Nick shrugged, "if you think about it, it was cheaper, instead of going to Starbucks everyday, you know?"

"How did you get the money to get one though," she asked.

Again, he shrugged. She didn't need to know, he told himself, she shouldn't know. It was safer that way. Better that way. She's been through too much as it is, he thought, she doesn't need to know how I afford this penthouse, how I afford most things that I have, how I take care of my family, she doesn't need to know. But at the same time, while Nick was telling him all of these things, he wanted to tell her because he didn't want to keep anything from her. He wanted to be the man who could save her, who could turn her life around, but with his lifestyle, the one that she didn't know about, there was no way she could do that.

A/N: So, this is my new story. Wasn't sure if I should've updated it so soon, but here's what I decided, I will write a new story and also the sequel to When You Love Someone. However, that might mean that The War Of Love may be postponed for a bit more. Also, I truthfully have no clue where TWOL story is going at the moment. Which I apologize for. I'm not saying it's over, I'm just saying it's on hiatus. Also, Letters To You will be updated soon, hopefully! And to those that I PM'd about my new story idea, well, I'm still debating that one, but this one is set in stone. I know exactly what I want to happen in this one. And I hope you all enjoy it!

Peace. Love. Niley.


	2. Chapter 2: New York At Night

Nick walked down the boardwalk of his New York neighborhood and when he saw a black van tailing him, he stopped walking and looked at it, putting his hand on the gun that was strapped to him under his shirt, but when the door opened and he saw a familiar face, he got in. It was dark when they got to their destination and the only sounds that could be heard outside were the cars driving down the highway. They were a few miles away from Nick's penthouse, deep in the south side of the Bronx. The wrong place to be at night, the wrong place to be ever. The mayor of had dubbed it one of the most dangerous places to be in New York City. It was run by a gang called N42. Nick still had no idea what it stood for, even if it was tattooed onto his shoulder with the gang sign right next to it. Not many people who were in the gang knew what N42 stood for and frankly, most of them didn't care. Nick didn't want to be in a gang, but when he was a teenager, he'd got caught up in the wrong crowd back in Chicago and ended up sworn into a gang on his sixteenth birthday. He thought that he'd be able to get out when he moved to New York, but of course, N42 has connections everywhere, and once a gangbanger, always a gangbanger.

He strutted through the doors and down the hall to the main ring leader, Devlin's office, with more confidence than he actually had. Something Nick had learned fast as a gangbanger; if you don't think you're a hard ass, act like one or else you get shot. His best friend, Logan was six feet under because he hadn't learned that piece of necessary knowledge. There were two men standing on either side of the doors, protecting Devlin, they eyed Nick and then gave him a nod, silently telling him to go in. Once he was in, Nick looked at the man who looked to be in his mid-twenties that had prison tattoos up and down his arms, his head was shaved to make him look tougher and he wore a muscle shirt, showing off his muscles. He had steel rings on his hands along with more tattoos, when Nick had first met him three years ago, he'd wondered how much blood covered Devlin's hands, but Nick knew he could get slaughtered for his thought. No disrespecting the ring leader.

"Grey, nice to see you," Devlin said from his black leather chair, "I've got a mission for you."

Nick gave a single nod, "which is?"

A man standing next to Devlin put a black duffle bag on the desk and Devlin nodded to it, "open it."

Nick unzipped the bag and looked inside, there was at least fifty baggies of powder in there. He knew not to ask any questions, though his brown eyes grew wide, but he quickly masked his shocked face with his stoned expression and nodded to Devlin, "where to?"

"42nd street," he handed him directions, "one mil. You get me? No penny less, one mil. If it's not all here by midnight, well, that blue eyed babe you're always hang with will be my bitch tonight, understand?"

Nick tightened his jaw, "no need for threats, alright? I've been here for six years, I know how shit goes down. You touch her, you die, do you understand that?"

Devlin got up from his seat and leaned on his desk so he was face to face with Nick, "threaten me again and she just might become my bitch and you just may be six feet under. You know I would."

Nick grabbed the bag and zipped it up again before leaving the warehouse and taking a taxi to 42nd street. He walked to the apartment complex and up to the apartment, knocking on the door, a businessman answered the door.

"Can I help you," he asked fixing his red tie.

Nick nudged the bag, "I have your stuff."

The businessman pulled him in and shut the door. Nick looked over to the kitchen table where stacks of money was placed. Looking around the apartment, he saw at least six women walking around in their bra and underwear. Again, Nick knew not to ask questions. He handed the man the bag and put his hand on his gun, "one mil."

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded over to the counter. The guy dumped the baggies out on the table and gave the duffle back to Nick, who walked over and put the money in the bag. Looking at his watch, he gulped. 11:00. He nodded to the man and left.

Catching a taxi, he went back to the warehouse and walked into Devlin's office, he placed the money bag on the desk and Devlin smirked at him before taking the money out. Julianna, a member of the N42 walked in and put her hand seductively on Nick's chest. She was wearing a tight black dress that barely covered anything, with a pair of black high heels, and a lot of makeup, but Nick had to admit, she was hot. She whispered seductive words into Nick's ear, placing her hand on the waistband of his jeans. He chuckled and smirked at her, even though he wasn't going to do anything with her. Devlin cleared his throat and Nick looked at him. Devlin handed him a stack of one hundreds and Nick took it.

"6Gs. Nice work. And say hey to those two sexes you've got for me," he smirked. Nick's jaw tightened again, but he just walked out without saying anything.

Going back to the heart of the city where he lived, Nick went to Miley and Demi's apartment and knocked on the door. He didn't care what time it was, he had to make sure they were okay. Miley opened the door wearing her bathrobe and smiled lightly at Nick. Opening the door wider, she let him in.

"Hey," she smiled, "what are you doing here," she asked, her voice coated with tiredness.

Nick shrugged, "I had a bad dream," he lied, "I just needed to make sure you were okay. Where's Dem?"

"She's sleeping," Miley explained, "something that most people do around this time of night," she teased taking his hand, "come on, let's go to bed." Miley pulled him into her room and laid on the bed. Nick stripped of everything, but his boxers and laid next to her. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest.

"Night, Mi."

"Night, Nick," she whispered before closing her eyes.

Nick sighed and stroked her hair as she slept. He watched her and realized that out of every girl he had laid his eyes on, she was the most beautiful. His mind flashed to Julianna and he wondered why he hadn't jumped her, he wondered why he hadn't jumped any girl for a while, and he realized the reason. The reason was lying right in his arms. He was falling for Miley, sure, he'd suspected it before, but it hadn't really clicked. Until now.

In the morning, Demi walked out of her bedroom and saw Nick drinking coffee and reading the sports section of the newspaper. She walked over to him and smiled, "morning."

He looked at her and grinned, "morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Great. When did you get here?"

"Last night," he explained, "couldn't sleep so I slept with Miley."

Her jaw hit the ground and Miley walked out of her bedroom laughing, "as in sleeping, Dem. Not as in slept with." She swatted Nick's arm.

He smirked at her, "I'm sure you were the only thinking sexual things of that statement, Mi. You just wish I'd sleep with you."

"Actually, that's exactly what I was thinking too," Demi laughed, her heart breaking just a bit as she watched Nick flirt with Miley.

Nick smirked at Miley, "I'm hungry, woman. Make me some food."

Miley laughed and shook her head, "call me 'woman' one more time, Nicholas and see how far that gets you with me making you breakfast."

He pulled her onto his lap and she laughed and pushed him away, but didn't get up, "Miley, sweet, Miley with a cherry on top, could you please make me breakfast?"

She groaned and got up, walking to the kitchen, "don't say I never did anything for you."

"Thank you," he smiled. His phone rang and he answered it, "Hey, Joe..."

Joe was Nick's brother. He had potential, but in all honesty, he was probably one of the geekiest guy who's ever graced the planet. If anyone from the Big Bang Theory ever passed away, then the director should probably ring him up because he'd give Sheldon a run for his money. Joe was one of the sweetest and funniest guys that Demi or Miley had ever met, but they weren't even sure if he'd kissed a girl before, or a guy, they weren't sure what his sexual orientation was- or if he had a sexual orientation. Nick and Joe got along well, but they had absolutely nothing in common, besides genetics. Joe was majoring in astrochemistry at the same University as Nick and the others.

Once Nick had hung up, he went over to Miley in the kitchen and leaned on the counter next to her, "Joe says hi. And says that mom and dad are coming up to visit next weekend."

"Aww, I love your parents," she laughed, "they're so sweet, except, I think your mom thinks I'm going to be her daughter in law or something because she always talks about how I'm going to get your secret family recipes one day. How's Joe?"

Nick shrugged, "stressed. He's trying to figure out this chemical equation and it isn't working out right."

Demi laughed and grabbed two muffins, "I'm going to go check on him, make sure he doesn't pull all of his hair out." She had gotten dressed and waved to them before walking out.

Nick let out as relaxed sigh and looked at Miley, "need any help with breakfast?"

"Sure, but what was that sigh about?"

He shrugged and opened the fridge, "Demi and Joe have been hanging out together a lot lately, by themselves, and maybe they're starting to have feelings for each other. I know that Joe has feelings for her, and if she has feelings for him, then she won't have feelings for me."

She nodded, "that makes sense, but Demi doesn't both you that much does she? I could talk to her if you wanted me to."

Nick shook his head and started cutting up two potatoes for hash browns, "no, that's okay. I love Dem, but just in a best friends way, you know?"

She nodded, "then we"ll all just be best friends. With no feelings."

He shrugged and kept cutting the potatoes, "yeah, maybe."

"Maybe?" She laughed, "well, I don't have any feelings for either of you. And you don't have feelings for either of us, so what? Does Demi like me too," she asked jokingly. Nick laughed and threw a potato at her. She gasped and threw flower at him and before they knew it, a full on food fight had begun. At the end of it, Nick was standing over Miley after she had fallen on her back from the egg that was on the floor and was sifting confectioner sugar onto her. She screamed in laughter and grabbed Nick's leg, making him fall. Little did she know, however, that he'd fall on top of her. Miley let out a loud laugh, a genuine laugh.

Nick laughed and looked down at her smirking, "hello."

She laughed and smashed confectioners sugar onto her face, "payback's a bitch," she smirked, still laughing.

He glared at her and smirked right back at her, "that was a big mistake, Ms. Stewart."

"Oh yeah," she asked looking into his eyes, trying to search for what he was thinking about for payback, but only getting lost in them.

He nodded, "yeah," he said hazily, he dumped more sugar on her head and she screamed again, "stop it!"

"Never," he laughed before standing up. She reached up for his hands and he helped her up to her feet.

She looked around the kitchen and sighed, shaking her head, "look what you did to the breakfast," Miley whined walking over to the burnt pancakes.

"Hey, I just threw a potato at you, Mi. You're the one who retaliated with an egg," he laughed, starting to cut the potatoes again. "We should probably clean this all up before Demi comes home and freaks."

"You mean you should probably clean it up," she challenged raising her eyebrows.

He chuckled and shook his head, "you wish, Stewart."

A/N: So, I'm not sure if I want them to get together now later. I'm thinking semi-soon, but not like immediately. And yes, Nick is in a gang. We'll get more of the background and 411 on that later. How do you guys like this story so far? Should I continue? Let me know! Thank you for your awesome reviews and thank you for reading! I'm grateful for you all!

Peace. Love. Niley.


	3. Chapter 3: Who Is He Supposed To Be?

Demi walked into Joe's apartment, the place that she'd been spending more than half of her time for the past few weeks, and smiled at him, shaking her head and laughing quietly. He was working on an equation on his whiteboard with some music in the background and a pencil behind his ear. He pushed his glasses up and stared at the problem in deep concentration, to the point where he hadn't heard Demi walk in. She just sat on the couch and grabbed a magazine, knowing not to interrupt him. Occasionally, her brown orbs would eye his work and him, but for the most part, she just read the magazine because to be perfectly honest, she didn't think he liked solving these equations, but didn't want to say anything. She thought he just solved the problems because his father was a scientist too and had pushed him since he was a child to be involved in science everything. She often wondered what would've happened if he hadn't been pushed into the science field, would he be more like Nick? Or would he still want to be an astrochemist?

He sighed and sat on the couch after two hours had passed and looked at Demi, who raised her eyebrows and laughed lightly when his face turned to shock when he saw her here, "when did you arrive," he asked.

"Like two hours ago, you were in the zone so I didn't want to interrupt you," she said putting the magazine down.

His face turned a bit red and a faint laugh escaped his lips, "I apologize. I'm just trying to figure this out and it's taking quite a long time."

"It's no problem," she smiled, "but now that you're not working anymore, want to go to grab a bit to eat or something?"

He pondered the thought and eyed the white board, "well, my dad is coming tomorrow and I really want to show him that I could calculate this," he bit his bottom lip and looked at her, "but I guess we could go get a bite to eat, as long as we aren't gone long. I think he'll be really proud."

A light smile came to her beautiful face and she stood up, putting her hand out for him, "then let's go. I promise, we'll be back in time for you to finish, how about we'll be back by nine."

"Deal," he laughed taking her hand and opening the door for her. They walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. Joe hailed a taxi and they got in, going into Manhattan and to a restaurant that they've went to a few times in the past. It wasn't fancy, it was laid back and casual.

Joe pulled out a chair for her and she smiled, "thanks."

He nodded and sits down. His mind is spinning, but after a few minutes, he takes a deep breath and puts his hand on top of her's, "so, we've known each other for a few years and have really gotten closer within the past months and I'm mindful that you probably conclude that I am a geek like everyone else concludes, but I truly admire you, Demi, and I was was wondering how you contemplated on this information." Joe wanted to hit himself, when he became nervous, big words always sputtered out of his mouth, he had spent a summer reading the dictionary because his father had thought it would be a good idea and now, he was paying for it.

Demi tried to soak in what he was saying and when she thought she understood the gist of it, she took his hand and squeezed it, looking into his big brown eyes that matched his brother's, she sighed, "Joe, you're a great friend, but I just don't feel for you the way you feel for me. I'm sorry. I love being friends with you though and I really hope that this doesn't ruin our relationship. Plus, I'm crazy about your brother."

Joe sighed and took his hands away, he put his head down and nodded, "y-yeah, that's what I thought. It always comes back to Nick. Everyone always admires Nick more than do me," he sighed again and looked at his watch, "I should go back home and finish my calculations." He put twenty dollars onto the table and left.

Demi sighed and sat there. Her heart sunk and her face turned into confusion when she felt a pang in her stomach, she felt her walls crumbling down, a tear fell from her eye and she wiped it away. Her heart was slowly breaking and when she realized why, she groaned. She was falling for Joe and had just said no to him. But she wasn't his type. He was no where close to her type, maybe she'd just fallen for his potential.

Joe went back to his apartment and stared at his whiteboard disgusted. He hated solving these equations, he hated who he was. He wanted to be someone else. Someone who was worth being loved, someone who was worth having a girlfriend, someone who was worth having Demi as their girlfriend. Truthfully, he didn't care about astrochemistry, he just wanted to make his father proud, but he knew that that wasn't going to happen. His father always found something to complain about when it comes to him. Nick was the perfect child. Their father never found a flaw with him. He let out a loud yell and pushed the whiteboard to the ground. He erased his work and stomped out of his apartment.

Taking a taxi, he went to Nick's apartment and banged on the door. It took a few moments, but Miley opened the door and smiled at him, pulling him in for a tight hug. Joe pushed her away and she fell to the floor. Nick walked in and saw Miley fall. He looked from Joe to Miley with confusion. Miley stood up and cupped Joe's cheeks, he shut the apartment door and slid down the door. She sat next to him and held him close as he sulked. Nick walked up and sat in front of them.

"What's going on, man," Nick asked curiously.

Joe stood up and glared down at him. Nick stood up after him and eyed him. The older brother grabbed onto Nick's collar and pushed him into the wall, "why are you Mr. Perfect, huh! I've kept your secret for years, Nick! I kept your secret! I could've told dad and he'd be proud at whatever I did! But now, I'm the one who always makes the mistakes and I'll tell you what, brother, I'm fucking sick of it! I hate this fucking astrochem shit! I don't know who the hell I'm supposed to be and that's because of you! Because of you, I've been trying to prove myself to our family, but dad always finds some kind of flaw! And I'm fucking sick and tired of it!"

Nick tried to control himself as he pushed Joe away and fixed his shirt, "my fault? I never told you to become a daddy's boy. I never told you to become our father's son or to become the nerdiest kid on the planet, man, alright? You're the one who took it upon yourself to read the dictionary and the thesaurus every summer while I was hanging out with friends and acting normal. Did you ever think that maybe dad likes me better because I don't do everything he tells us to do? Huh!"

Miley just looked back and forth from Joe to Nick and then just looked at Nick, "Nick, could you give us a few moments?"

"This is my penthouse, Mi, you can't kick me out."

She walked over and put her hands on his tense shoulders, "hey," she said quietly, "relax, okay? I'm going to try and fix this. I don't know what's going on and neither do you. You knew that this would eventually happen. He's cracked, Nicholas, and if you're just going to fight him back, then there's no point of you being here right now. I could just take him to my house and not sleep over if that's what you'd like."

He shook his head and sighed, "I'll be back in a bit," grabbing his leather jacket, he took Miley's hand into his, "thanks," he said smiling lightly before leaving.

Joe sighed and sat on the brown leather couch, Miley sat next to him and put her body so she was facing him. Taking her hand in his, she looked into his eyes, "hey," she smiled, she fixed a bang that hung in his face and sighed, "Joe, what's wrong?"

He told her everything, from how he didn't know what he was supposed to be doing with his life, to how Demi and he had been spending mass amounts of time together and he'd told her how he'd felt with a vocabulary that she probably couldn't even completely understand and how he had no idea what he was doing with his stupid life. Miley just listened and nodded periodically so he would know that she wasn't zoning out and that she actually did care. When he was done, she let the information sink in for a few minutes. A serene quietness filled the air and Joe started to relax a little.

"So, how would you like me to help you be a new you," she asked.

He shrugged and sighed, "I am who I am. I can't just become a new me."

"Yes you can," she smiled, "you can be anyone you want to be. Take Queen GaGa for example, she's a different person everyday," she laughed.

He shook his head and laughed too.

"It'll be hard work and a lot of patience and persistence, but I know that you have all of the above and if you want to be a new you, then I'll help out as best as I can. We could start with wardrobe and then work on flirtation and I mean, we don't really have to work on personality, maybe your vocabulary, we could lower that a bit, but we could do this, if you really wanted to."

Joe nodded, "please. I want to become a better Joe. A me Joe. Whoever me is. I want to live for me, not for my father."

"We'll start tomorrow."

He shrugged and nudged her, "or we could start on flirtation right now," he joked.

She laughed and shook her head, "one Grey flirting with me is enough," she laughed, "trust me though, I've got a lot up my sleeve for you."

"Oh really?"

Miley nodded and opened the door. Nick fell in and quickly stood up, "umm," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I-I wasn't eavesdropping."

"Sure you weren't," she laughed rolling her eyes.

He shook his head, "I wasn't."

"You promised me you'd never lie to me," she reminded him.

Nick sighed and rubbed his neck again, "okay, fine. You caught me. I was eavesdropping and for the record, I so do not flirt with you."

"Nicky, you purposely fell on top of me the other day and do not even get me started on how much you check me out," she laughed shaking her head. His face flushed and she kissed his cheek, "it's okay though, I forgive you."

"I'll see you both tomorrow," Joe said walking away.

Nick waved at him and shut his apartment door before turning back to look at Miley who had plopped herself on the couch and had turned the tv to some reality show. Grabbing the remote, he shut it off and stood in front of her. Miley looked up at her slowly and cokced her head, "what?"

"You think I''m flirting with you," he asked, trying to mask his embarrassment with confusion.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "am I wrong?"

His head was spinning. He didn't know what he was supposed to say, what he was supposed to do, should he tell her? Should he wait? He was frozen, trying to comprehend what he was supposed to do, but he didn't want to ruin their friendship, he didn't want to be the guy with the secrets. She'd had too many things hidden from her throughout her life. He wasn't going to be her boyfriend, the secret gangbanger. No matter how much he wanted her, he couldn't have her. Not yet at least.

A/N: So? How are you guys liking this story? I've been reading a lot of books lately and have started to learn how to better describe things and use words in a different way. I'm feeling really confident with this story. What do you guys think is going to happen? Do you guys want anything to happen? Let me know with a review! Thanks for all of your previous reviews and thank you for reading! I truly appreciate it!

Peace. Love. Niley.

Twitter:

WakingUp2Roses


	4. Chapter 4: Surprises

As he walked into the designer store, Joe looked around frazzled, having no idea where to start, he turned to his best friend and wrapped his arm around her neck. Miley laughed lightly and put her hand on his back, attempting to assure him that everything would be okay. She took him to the men's department of the store and started to look around. Joe watched her intrigued. He noticed that she didn't just see a shirt, or a pair of pants, but a masterpiece, an entire ensemble that someone wears. Miley was artsy like that, it was something he admired about her.

"Can I ask you a question," he asked as she looked through the dress shirts as he stood there awkwardly.

She pulled out a dark blue polo and handed it to him, he took the hanger part of the shirt and held it carefully, "sure," she said as she scanned through other shirts and jackets.

"What happened with Nick when I withdrew from your apartment?"

Miley stifled a laugh and shook her head, " when you 'withdrew' from my apartment? Oh, Joey, I love you."

He chuckled and shook his head, his shaggy hair bouncing with every move, "don't avoid my question, Miles."

She sighed and looked at him quickly before taking out a leather jacket and holding it up to him, the blue eyed belle pushed it into his hands, "nothing happened, Joey. Nothing. No thing, no fling."

He cocked his eyebrows and looked around the store. There were a multitude of people at sales racks, in the shoe departments, and in general, shopping for clothes, he never understood shopping, but hoped that within the end of this, he did. He wanted to change. For Demi and for himself. Eyeing the leather jacket, he nodded before looking back at Miley, "really? Nothing? I'm surprised at that. I fell like Nick is fascinated with you. He rarely takes his eyes off of you when you're in the room, like I do with Demi. It's very odd to me that he has yet to make a move on you."

"Well, he didn't. Plus, we're just best friends. Ooo," she said geting a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of dress pants, "Alright, so go try this stuff on, I'll wait out here, come out when you have it on. Jeans with the shirt, and then dress pants with," she paused and looked around, getting a long sleeved white shirt, a black tie, and a black jacket, she handed it all to him, "with this. Okay," she pushed him lightly towards the changing room, "go."

He went in and came out in the casual outfit first. Miley's jaw dropped and she threw her head back, letting out a loud laugh, "damn! There's a sexy man in there," she gaped, "if I didn't already have my eyes on someone else, and you had a haircut, I would totally steal you before anyone else could."

Joe shook his head, his cheeks reddening a bit, "I'd prefer if you did not flirt with me, I also have my eye on someone else and you are like my sister," he laughed, "you really think this looks good?"

"Dude, you look hot, now go get into the other outfit."

He nodded and went into the changing room. A few minutes later, he walked out of the room and Miley laughed again, "what is going on? Joe! I'm so shocked," she giggled, "you're gorgeous!"

They went to store after store until a multitude of shopping bags filled their arms. He was wearing a new pair of dark colored skinny jeans, blue boat shoes, and a dark blue Polo. Next stop was the hair salon. They walked into a chic salon called "Jacque's", he'd heard of it, but never imagined ever going to it, it was one of the best salons in New York. The sign outside, in the hall of the ball was black with white lights illuminating every letter. In the salon, everything was white with mirrors lining the wall, the only thing that wasn't white was the clipping chairs and the

corner waiting lounge that held black leather couches and a black carpet with a black coffee table in the middle of the rug which held a number of hair and celebrity gossip magazines.

Sitting him in a chair, she smiled at her friend Jacque, "hi," she smiled.

"Ah, Miley," he said in is thick french accent, "what are you doing here? You don't have an appointment for a few weeks."

Miley nodded her head toward Joe and clasped her hands together as she bit her lip. Joe knew that look, he'd seen her give it to Nick dozens of times, and of course, whatever she wanted, after she looked at Nick like that, she usually, if not always, got what she wanted. "Could you please help me out here? Please? I begging you, my friend wants to change his look. I know he doesn't have an appointment, but I'll pay you double, I'll-"

Jacque laughed and shook his head, "don't worry, doll! My next appointment cancelled, if you had come at any other time, I would've had to say no, but we can fit him in."

Miley let out a high pitch joyful squeal and hugged him tight. Waving her hand at Joe, to motion him over, he walked over with his straight stance and perfect posture. The hairstylist nudged her and laughed lightly, "what's he got up his booty?"

She hit his arm and shook her head, "be nice, make him look so hot that all the girls at the University will want to invite him to an orgi fest, instead of a dorks-r-us fest," she laughed, "no offense, Joey. You know I love you."

"None taken," he sighed taking a seat in black leather clipping chair.

She kissed the top of his head, "okay. So, I'm just going to go sit over in the waiting area."

He nodded and smiled lightly to her in the mirror. Jacque stood next to him and ran his hands through Joe's hair, "okay, to the sinks."

An hour later, he walked over to Miley and nervously cleared his throat. Miley looked up from her phone, her eyes scanned over Joe and when they got to his hair, she gasped and squealed. Getting up, she started to jump and down. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. His long dark brown curls had been chopped off and in replacement, a neat cut laid on top of his head, the curls down and it was a bit spiked. He looked like a new person, a gorgeous new person.

"What is the predicament of the situation," Joe questioned looking at her confused.

"JOEY, YOU LOOK HOT," she laughed and kissed his cheek.

Joe scrunched his nose and wiped his cheek, "I'm not a fan when one slobbers on me like a wet canine."

"Now, let's work on that vocabulary of your's," she said laughing as they walked out of the salon and to the restaurant across the street.

Later that night, Miley got out of the yellow New York City taxi after paying the cab driver and started to walk into her apartment building when she felt eyes on her. Looking around, she saw nothing. Goosebumps slithered onto her skin as a warm breeze hit her. Opening the door, she quickly walked into the building and shut the door tight behind her. Going up the elevator, she waited until the doors opened up onto the third floor and got off, walking to her apartment, she walked in and came face to face with a man who looked like a jailbird. He was inked all over his arms, in symbols that she didn't recognize and didn't want to recognize. Her hand clasped onto her cell phone and her purse. She wanted to run, that was her first instinct, but she knew he'd be able to catch her. Maybe if she hadn't been in six inch stilettos then she would've been able to beat him, but probably not.

The bald man in a white wife beater and low waisted jeans just smirked of her, "hello, Miley."

She gulped and looked down before looking back up at him for a brief moment, "h-how do you know my name," she asked, her voice shaking and fearful.

He shrugged and walked closer to her, "I have my ways," brushing a piece of hair out of her face, he let out a low chuckle and shook his head, "you're even prettier close up."

"Don't touch me," she snapped pushing him away.

His eyes scanned her body up and down and he licked his lips, "feisty, I like it. Did you have fun getting your friend all dolled up today," he questioned walking closer to her yet again. She looked into his cold dark eyes that looked to be almost hollow-like and quivered yet again.

"You've been following me?"

"Possibly. Or else we just happen to see you wherever we go," he smirked, "but that's probably not the case."

"Who are you?"

"That's for me to know and for your friend to find out," he smirked before pushing himself up against her so every inch of his body was covering hers. She used all her strength to try to push him away, but he was too heavy, and his muscles were too big. He laughed at her feeble attempt at getting rid of him and shook his head, "I say we have some fun."

She shook her head and bit her lip, "no."

He backed away and smirked at her yet again, "maybe next time then. Oh, and there will be a next time and then, I'll really get what I want. Wear something sexy tomorrow," he said winking at her before leaving. She slid down the wall, her body shaking. Taking out her phone, she pressed her speed dial number two and held it to her ear. Sobs errupted from her body as she put her knees up to her chest.

"Miles," Nick greeted answering his phone with a smile on his face. He was gald she'd called him. After their previous encounter, he wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him. He heard her sobs and his body froze, "Mi? Mi, what's wrong," he queried.

"Can you come over? Please," she said holding herself tight, "I need you to come over."

"I'll be over as soon as I possibly can, okay?"

She nodded, but then realized that he couldn't see her and sighed, sniffling, "yeah, I-I"ll see you then." Hanging up, she went to the couch after locking the door and put herself into a fetal position while holding onto a blue throw pillow. A sense of terrified bewilderment ran through her body. Who was the guy? What did he want with her? How did he know where she lived? Why did he know her every move? Where had he come from?

About seven minutes later, there was a hurried knock on her door. She quickly got up and looked through the peep hole, seeing the head of curls of her best friend, Miley unlocked the door and he rushed in, shutting it behind him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, nuzzling her head into his chest, the soft material of his long sleeved blue University sweatshirt rubbed against her cheek. Nick's arms snaked around her as he picked her up, brining her over to the couch. Sitting down, he held her like a baby on his lap, her head now burried into his neck.

He knew not to ask what happened, not until her crying had softened, so he just rubbed her back and whispered comforting things into her ear, telling her that she was okay and promising her that he wasn't going to go anywhere. She just nodded her head and held him closer with every word that dribbled out of his plump lips. After a while, she calmed down and looked into his eyes. Starting from the beginning, when she got out of the taxi, to the end, when she had called him, she told him everything and the only thing Nick felt throughout her story was anger and guilt. He knew exactly who had sent the messenger to Miley's apartment. His mind flashed to the gun he kept in his apartment and knew that for once, he'd be glad to use it.

Nick didn't know what to say, so he just kept whispering things into her ear to comfort her. She looked into his eyes and straddled him, her fingers combed through his hair and she smiled lightly, her hand left his hair a few moments later and her thumb skimmed his jaw bone, "you're always there for me," she whispered, "thank you," her voice cracked.

He shook his head and pulled her closer, "of course, Mi. No thanks is needed though, I'd do anything for you. You know that."

"Thank you," she repeated before pecking her lips and resting her head on his chest, "can you stay here with me for the night? Demi's visiting her parents."

He nodded and kissed her forehead, "of course. Come on, let's go to your room." Picking her up, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her down. Wrapping his arms around her, they both fell asleep. Miley still shook, but Nick slept like a baby, not only was he holding the woman he cared the most about, his best friend, but he was going to get revenge soon, and that was just like a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae.

A/N: Again, thank you all so much for your reviews! What do you guys think of this chapter? Is Nick really going to kill the intruder? Who is the intruder and what exactly does he want? Find out soon on Hit The Lights!

Peace. Love. Niley.

Twitter:

WakingUp2Roses


	5. Chapter 5: A First For Everything

Taking the top off of the beer bottle, Demi flopped down onto Nick's black leather couch. Looking at Nick, who was holding an identical bottle in his hand and a black remote in the other, she let out a quiet sigh. Nick was submerged into what looked like the baseball game that was playing on TV, but she knew what he was really submerged in, his thoughts. Snapping her fingers, she let out a light laugh when he didn't respond at all, she liked to mess with him, but she was too exhausted from exams to do so. So, just looked around the living room that she and Miley had decorated and went into her dream state.

She imagined setting up her house with Nick in the future, their little kids running around their bedrooms. The boys would have race car designed rooms or dinosaur, while the girls had princess or fairy themes in theirs. And the master bedroom would be the best a black and white design that was chic and gorgeous. Shaking her head, she left her fantasy and looked back at Nick, who was now walking to the kitchen.

Following him, she leaned on the wooden countertop, "what's wrong, Nick," she asked playing with her fingers, "you're really quiet. And you're always really quiet when you're worried about something or something's bothering you."

"Did you know Miley came home to a guest a few nights ago," Nick questioned.

She nodded and sighed, "yeah. We got an alarm system installed. She can't sleep, course she wouldn't say it because she's terrified. She just says that she's too busy studying for the tests to sleep. Total bull shit though."

He nodded and sighed, "I just wish I could've done something, you know? And if I ever find out who that i, I'm going to kick his ass from here to hell and gone."

Demi laughed and shook her head, "you're in love with her, aren't you?"

Nick chuckled and shook his head, "that's ridiculous."

She stuck her hand out and rolled her big brown eyes, "hi, nice to meet you, I'm your best friend Demi and I know how to tell when you are and aren't telling the truth. Like now, for example, you're lying. Know how I know that?"

"Because you can read my mind?"

The brunette shook her head, "well one, I see the way you look at her, and two, you have a tell. Never play poker. You'll loose all your chips before you can even start round two."

"Oh? And what would this "tell" be?"

"You get a little twitch at the side of your lip every time you lie. It's very faint, but I can see it."

"Alright, alright, fine. I may have some feelings for her, but so what? It's not like anything can happen anyways. She's my best friend, you know? That's it."

Demi groaned and threw her head back, "you're impossible. It's true, I know it's true."

Hearing a key jingle in the door lock, Nick cocked his head and watched as the door opened and Joe and Miley walked in. Well, he thought it was Joe, it was pretty hard to tell though, he looked nothing like what he usually did. He was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, boat shoes, a rocker tee and a black leather jacket, his hair was spiked up and much shorter. Joe walked over to his younger brother and gave him a man hug, "hey, man."

He looked at Demi who's mouth was hanging wide open in shock as she eyed him, "Joseph Adam Grey, what on earth," she laughed, "you look great!"

Joe gave her a light smile before going to sit on the couch. Demi sighed and went to sit next to him, "come on, talk to me. Please? Look. I'm sorry, okay? I know I turned you down, I just- you're a really good friend of mine."

"Yeah, sure," he said dryly, "because it's not like you're not in love with your best friend already," Joe's brown orbs looked up at Nick who was clearly flirting with Miley in the kitchen, "and the most depressing part about it is that he's incontrovertibly crazy about Miley. So how's that feel?" He rolled his eyes before walking over to the kitchen.

Demi just watched him walk away and sighed, knowing that he was right and that she was wrong to let him down. But she had, and there was nothing she could do to change that, she just had to live with it. Which might've been easier said than done. Walking over to the other's, she sat on the counter and swung her legs. Nick looked at Miley and wrapped his arms around her waist, "you okay," he asked her quietly.

She sighed and nodded, rubbing her forehead, "just a bit tired."

"Do you want to stay here for a few days?"

She shook her head, "no, I'm fine," she said looking up at him, giving him a gentle smile, "I will be at least. Hey," she said so everyone could hear her, "why don't we take Joe out for a night on the town? Hit the clubs, you know, have some fun."

Nick smirked, "I'm in."

"Me too," Demi chimed in.

Joe shrugged, "okay."

Miley squealed and they left for one of the best Manhattan clubs. Waiting in line to get in, Joe fidgeted with his fingers. Sure, he partied, but clubs were never his thing. He was trying to change though, so he knew that this was something that he should try. Maybe he didn't know who he was supposed to be, but he knew what fun was supposed to be, and for once, he wanted to have some all out college fun, in a club, with his brother and two best friends. And he knew that if his brother was here, he wouldn't be with the gang, the one secret that he knew of Nick that no one else did, but he knew why Nick was branded until the day he dies.

Once they reached the entrance of the loud, thrilling club, they showed their IDs and walked in. They were on a balcony type layout and to get to anything else, they had to walk down one of the two balconies that was on each side. In the middle of the main floor, was a large dance floor with strobe lights and a giant disco ball in the middle of the ceiling. All the way to the front, was a large suave bar that had a white slick bar top and dim white lights hanging about it. All in all, the club was beautiful.

Miley grabbed Demi's hand and they went down the staircase in their heals and mini dresses. Demi had on a slick black dress on while Miley had on a chic red dress. Both dresses ended mid thigh and they had on black matching stilettos, making it obvious that they'd gotten ready together. No one was complain though, they looked beautiful. Their hair was down and their curls framed their beguiling beauty, their make up was light, but in a party mood so that it was still visible.

Nick nudged Joe out of his shocked state by the look of the club and chuckled. They started walking down the staircase and looked at Miley and Demi as they waited for them to come down. Joe had on a dark pair of skinny jeans, white loafers, and a gray tee shirt and a black blazer. Nick was wearing a white tee, black leather jacket, and white loafers.

Miley examined his outfit and shook her head, "maybe I should give you a fashion intervention next," she smirked.

He popped the collar of his jacket and chuckled, "and why's that? I think I have pretty good fashion, actually."

"With your white tee and leather jacket all the time?"

He put his hand on his heart as if he'd been injured, "well, it's not like you've complained before, now is it," he laughed.

She playfully rolled her eyes and started strutting over to the bar with Demi. The boys followed them and took out their wallets. Looking at each other, they shook their heads and attempted to stifle a laugh, they were already whipped by these two woman and the only relationship that was in the foreseeable future and in the past was a flirtatious friendship. Miley ordered a Sex On The Beach and unzipped her purse to take out her wallet when Nick leaned on the counter next to her and gave the bartender a twenty, and he ordered a Gin & Coke.

"Thanks," she smiled zipping her purse up again.

Demi ordered a Bloody Mary and Joe, after much deliberation and thought, ordered a Gin & Tonic. He paid for his and Demi's beverages and sat down in between Miley and Nick.

A blonde haired girl tapped on Joe's shoulder and once he turned around, he smiled, "hi," she greeted in a flirtatious voice, "I'm Emily, would you like to dance?"

Demi sneered at the girl before glaring at Joe, who just looked at Demi, "sure," he said turning to the beautiful stranger who had on a short blue dress, "I'd enjoy that." He took her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

"Please tell me you taught him some dance moves," Nick begged, eyeing Miley.

She laughed and shook her head, "nope. We haven't finished all of our lessons just yet, but-" her blue eyes trailed over to the two of them dancing and she nodded impressed, "wow. He's not half bad. Better than you, I bet," she provoked.

He smirked, "that a challenge?"

Miley shrugged and took a sip of her drink, "maybe."

"Challenge accepted," he replied taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor. Miley looked back at Demi who was now sitting alone and mouthed to her, sorry. Once they got to a space big enough for the both of them to fit, on the already exceedingly packed dance floor, Miley let the fast upbeat rhythm take control of her body as she and Nick started dancing together, without touching. However, a few moments into the song, Nick went behind Miley and put his hands on her waist, bringing her closer to him so that her body was aligned with his. Smirking, she moved her hips to the music and with Nick's, their motions coming as one. His hot breath ran down his neck and he bit his lower lip, trying to control himself. Her hands trailed up his chest and all the way up to his hair in which she combed her fingers through it and tugged it lightly, making him let out a light moan.

A few songs later, Miley turned around and wrapped her arms around Nick's neck, their hips bucking together again. She bit her lip and looked down at their bodies, his hands trailed up and down her sides as the heat between the two of them intensified and he felt himself starting to loose control. Looking into her eyes, he looked back down to her lips and then back up to her blue orbs, she just watched him, and looked nervously into his eyes again. Their faces came closer together as their hips kept rubbing against each other's, they closed their eyes and their lips were milliseconds from touching when a loud cry was heard from the bar. They quickly pulled away and looked over, the man from Miley's apartment had his rough hands on Demi's arm as he yanked her up.

Nick dashed over with Miley close behind, Joe and Emily were by their side seconds after. Nick's jaw tightened and he pushed the man off of Demi, punching him firmly in the jaw, he glared at him and the man glared back, "touch either of them again and you'll regret it, understand?"

"You and I have unfinished business."

Joe cleared his throat and took Demi and Miley's hands, "come on, guys, let's get out of here. Leave them to this." They nodded.

Miley grabbed Nick's hand, "come on, Nick, let's go. She's safe now." Nick was having a stare down with the man and Miley tugged his hand, "let's go."

He sighed and shoved the guy one last time before wrapping his arm around Miley's neck and Demi's and leaving.

Joe walked out hand in hand with Emily, and gave her a hug, "I'll call you, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, "yeah, sounds great. See you soon," she kissed his cheek and he hailed her a cab. He kissed her cheek and watched her get into the cab. Nick patted him on the back, "nice work, bro."

He shrugged and chuckled, "she's fun and funny. And actually really intelligent, she goes to Columbia."

"Awesome!"

"Yeah, just fantastic," Demi snapped sarcastically.

They got into a cab and dropped Joe off at his apartment before going to Demi and Miley's apartment. Miley looked at Nick and smiled lightly.

"You gonna be okay?"

Miley hesitantly nodded before sighing and shaking her head, "can you stay here with us? I think Dem is a bit freaked out and so am I." She looked into his big brown eyes and held his hand. He nodded, paid the cab driver, and they all went in.

Demi sighed, "guys, I'm just going to take a shower and go to bed. Nick, thanks for saving me."

She smiled lightly and went into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Miley looked at Nick and bit her lip. She sat on the couch and watched Nick as he turned on some music. A John Legeand (legal) song came on and he put his hand out for Miley, "dance with me?"

Taking his hand, she put his body up against his from behind as he put his hands on her hips again and they swayed to the beat. A while in, her breath hitched as the moves heated up, she looked at him, turning her head as much as he could. Their eyes connected and a few seconds later, so did their lips in a loving yet passionate and heated kiss. She turned so they were facing each other and put her hand on the back of his neck while the other rested on his cheek. His fingers rested on her hips as he pulled her closer. Slowly, she pulled away and looked into his brown chocolate-colored orbs and yawned before putting her head on his shoulder.

"Come on," he chuckled taking her hand, "let's go to bed."

A/N: Anyone else ever notice that a lot of my chapters end up with them falling asleep together? XD This one was going to be too, but then I deleted it. So Niley kiss, yay! Do you think they'll jump into a relationship? Or wait it out? Thanks for the reviews! Oh, and does anyone watch Make It Or Break It? All of the episodes are on Hulu so I've been watching it this week for the first time ever. Great show! So sad they cancelled it. :( And if you do watch it, do you find it weird that I'm a Sasha/Payson fan?

Peace. Love. Niley.

Twitter:

WakingUp2Roses


	6. Chapter 6: The Girl In The Flannel

Her fingers scratched his back as he pulsed in and out of her, the intensity and heat of the room rising with every thrust. She let out a scream as he increased his movements and pumped through her even harder, a hiss escaped his mouth before their lips landed on each other's for a sweet, loving, yet urgent kiss. She stroked and scratched his back again as she felt herself getting closer to her climax. He pulled away and sucked her neck with great desire. Arching her back, she began to hit her peak and wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him in place as she moved her hips and her body started to shake.

Hearing the alarm clock go off, Miley's blue eyes shot open and she looked around the room. Trying to pull herself into reality and out of her dream state, she looked to her side, she saw a vacant spot, which hadn't been filled since the night that she and Nick had kissed, twenty-one days ago. He'd been avoiding her. They had dinner with his parents because Denise had begged Miley and Demi to come. The mother had already pegged Miley for Nick's future wife and was sure that Demi was going to be Joe's as well. She had asked the boys to bring them and because they loved their mother, they did as she said.

After the dream that Miley had had, she knew that in order for that to come true, she needed to sort everything out with Nick, whom she was pissed at. She didn't get why he'd been so distant, if anything, she thought he'd be around more. The whole situation was confusing and she didn't understand why he'd been dodging her. No texts, no calls, no visits, it was as if he'd evaporated into thin air.

She knocked on his dark blue apartment door that had the number 28 hammered on it. Patiently, yet impatiently as well, she waited for him to answer. A whole list of words were etched on her mind, even a speech that she'd come up with for him. Some of the words included "jackass", "asshole", "best friend", and "loser". She hated him for ignoring her for the past three weeks. He'd taken her to see his parents, but that was it. After that, it was as if he didn't exist, but he was in every thought she had.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally, the door opened and a blonde haired older woman who had on one of Nick's long sleeved plaid shirts, just the shirt, answered. She smiled at Miley and looked at her with such poise that she intimidated Miley a bit. A whirlwind of thoughts flustered through her mind.

"Can I help you," the blonde model-like bodied woman asked in her thick Australian accent as she leaned on the door frame.

Miley paused, not knowing what to say. Who was this woman, the blue eyed woman wondered, she'd never seen her before. Her stomach knotted together as the stranger waited for her response.

"I- Umm- Yo- I'm one of Nick's friends, is he...ummm...is he here?"

The stranger's brown eyes lit up, "oh my gosh, it's so nice to meet you, he hasn't introduced me to any of his friends yet, it's good to see who he spends time with," she laughed, "I'm Delta," she stuck her hand out, "nice to meet you."

Miley reluctantly shook her hand, still having no idea who this woman was, from her appearance, she guessed it was someone special. Out of all the years Miley had known Nick, she had never seen a woman answer his door, unless it was Demi or one of his family members, but they really didn't count in this situation.

"Right...so is he here," Miley asked again.

Delta sighed and shook her head, "no, I'm sorry, you just missed him actually, but you can come in and wait," she opened the door for her to come in.

"I actually umm...I should get going, I have class in a bit," she explained, though it was a lie.

The older woman laughed, "oh, college days, I'm not going to lie, I kind of miss them, but then again, not really. I'll tell Nicholas you stopped by, yeah?"

"N-No, t-that's okay. Thanks though. Nice meeting you, Delta."

"Same to you, Miley," she said before waving as Miley walked down the stairs and after hailing a taxi, she got in and started crying lightly.

A few hours later and after Miley had spilled her guts about her and Nick and then what had happened earlier that morning to Demi, they laid in Miley's room and had some girl time, talking about their issues and feeelings, things that Nick and Joe were very much opposed to.

"How could I have been so stupid," Miley asked Demi as she picked her head up from the pillow and sighed, "I mean, was it just me? Did I read into things wrong? Has he never really been into me?"

Demi laughed and threw a pillow at her best friend, "babe, as much as I hate to admit it, that boy is crazy about you, I don't care if a woman is answering his door, it's still true."

Raising her eyebrows in surprise and hearing hypocrisy in her statement, Miley looked at her, "you should listen to your own knowledge."

"But see, there's a difference. You didn't turn Nick down, you kissed him, as for me, I shot Joe down hard and cold, just like Nick does to me..."

"Actually," she retorted staring at the white ceiling, "Nick kissed me, I just didn't pull away, and so? He got the make over for you, Em's a great girl, but he still cares about you. I can see it in his eyes when he talks about you. Hell, just the mention of your name makes him nervous."

A light red glow came to Demi's face and she bit her lip, "you turned that boy from the geek squad to the frat boy, I don't know how you do it, Miles, but you turned something from impossible to possible."

"I'm just that epic," she laughed.

"Wow," Demi gawked throwing her head back in laughter, "conceited much?"

Hearing a knock on the door, Demi got up, "I'll get it, you can just stay here...with your so-called epicness," she teased before walking out and opening the door.

A frazzled Nick stood there with his hand on the back of his neck, looking at Demi, he sighed as he watched her bite her tongue and cross her arms. He knew he was in the dog house, but he thought that Demi would at least understand.

"Miley here?"

Her brown eyes glared at him and she nodded, "yeah, but what's it to you? You have that girl waiting for you at home, what's her name again? Delta or something? Next time you kiss my best friend, if there is a next time, don't ignore her and then hook up with some other woman, at least don't have her find out about that other woman by knocking on your door and having her answer half naked."

"Hey," he said holding his hands up in surrender, "I didn't tell her to answer the door without any pants on."

"Not the point," she snapped.

"Can I please just talked to Miley quickly?"

Demi sighed and let him in, "she's in her room."

Slowly, Nick made his way in and sat on the bed. Miley looked at him and shook her head, a disgusted look appearing on her face, "I heard what Demi said," she announced, "and you know, none of that is the biggest issue I have right now. My problem is that you've been MIA. You won't return my calls or texts, you want call or text me, I don't care if we're just friends, Nick. My problem is that my best friend, also known as you, if you'd forgotten, is shutting me out. Demi was right about one thing though, I shouldn't have to find out about Delta, who I'm assuming is your girlfriend by her answering the door."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"No? Then what is she?"

Nick let out a soft sigh and shrugged, "I don't know. She's my friend."

"Your fuck friend? Or my replacement?"

"No one could ever replace you," he said quietly, "she's just a friend...a beneficial friend."

Miley scoffed, "gee, that's super classy, Nick," she snapped sarcastically, "I'm just going to come right out and ask. It's pretty obvious that we like each other, you know, you kissed me, we've flirted for a long time, I'm just wondering...why'd you kiss me if you have these so-called "beneficial friends"?"

**A/N: I apologize for me being MIA and the shortness of this chapter, I've just been super busy and have had some writer's block, I'm trying to update all of my stories as soon as possible though, so keep an eye out for the others! :) Why do you think Nick kissed Miley if he has friends with benefits? What do you think his answer is going to be? What do you want to see happen in this story? Please let me know! And a shout out to Meg for helping me figure out what I wanted to happen in this story. Have a Twitter? Go follow her, teamjbrothers. She's awesome, and while you're at it, follow me! Thank you for the amazing reviews and keep them coming! Hope you're enjoying your summer, I know I am!**

**Peace. Love. Niley.**

**Twitter:**

**WakingUp2Roses**


	7. Chapter 7: A Goodbye With Broken Hearts

Joe woke up lying naked in an unfamiliar bed. Black sheets were tangled around him while his legs were intertwined with another pair of thiner, more feminine legs. Looking down, he saw a blond haired girl sleeping peacefully on his chest, he smiled as the memories of last night came back to him. He felt relieved, Happy. Satisfied. He'd found a girl who cared for him, who loved and adored him and he felt the exact same way for her. Last night, they'd shown each other for the first time how much they truly cared bout one another. Her heavenly cries, his panting breath, everything came back to him and he couldn't be happier. Except for one thing, a pair of big brown eyes that haunted his mind as always- Demi's eyes.

Miley sat on her bed with her arms wrapped around her blue pillow waiting. It'd been a few minutes now since words were shared between she and Nick.

"Why do you have friends with benefits when you like me," she repeated for the fourth time.

He didn't say anything.

"DAMNIT, NICHOLAS, ANSWER ME," she yelled in frustration, her head was pounding while she waited for an answer.

His face heated up as his head spinned a million miles an hour, "because, okay?! I like you! I like you and I shouldn't! You deserve better than what I can give you, Mi!"

Her blue eyes scanned over him confused, "you've never been one who's self conscious enough to think you didn't deserve someone...what'd you do, Nick?"

He bit his lip and shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I just... I can't tell you."

The words hit her like a bullet piercing the heart, since when have they not been able to share everything with each other, she asked herself. Tears fell from her now saddened gray eyes and Nick cringed.

"Please don't cry," he pleaded.

She looked at him with a cold gaze, "get out," she hissed, "and don't come back."

"Mi-"

"NO! I don't want to hear it," she said in a heated temper, "I don't want to hear what you have to say. You're supposed to be my best friend! We're supposed to be able to tell each other everything! You're a coward, Nicholas. You're a coward and a liar and I can't be with someone like that."

He looked at her hurt as tears threatened to fall from his brown orbs, she looked away, not wanting to see him cry, even if she was crying because of him. He watched as the thick, concrete walls he'd worked so hard to crack went up again. It was like her internal safety shield. Nick walked over and kissed the top of her head and stroked her cheek for a moment, "you don't have to worry about that guy who was stalking you again. You're safe," he whispered. Miley averted her eyes away, trying to keep her calm until he'd left. He sighed and walked out of the room and out of the apartment.

Miley grabbed a pillow and held it to her mouth, she let out a blood curdling scream and sobbed hard. Her rock had lost crumbled, she'd lost her back bone, her best friend, she'd just lost what seemed like her everything. _"You're safe," _echoed through her mind, she wasn't. Not when her protection was gone. She was damaged now, and the only person who could've mended her had just lost her trust.

**A/N: I know this chapter was really really short, and I apologize, I just wanted to get this scene done with and put it out there, I really like the last paragraph so I though it'd be a good stopping place. What do you guys think they'll do without each other? Let e know in a review, please! Next chapter is already written, it's normal length, and will be posted tomorrow night! :)**

**Twitter: WakingUp2Roses**


	8. Chapter 8: Without You

It'd been two long weeks since Miley and Nick had spoken. For Miley, that meant two weeks since she hadn't gotten out of bed, unless she had to pee, and two weeks that she hadn't eaten. She didn't see the point. For Nick, that meant fourteen nights of dirty, drunken sex with his friends with benefits, or girls he'd picked up at bars, and nights where he was so high, he couldn't remember a thing. It also meant that his time with the N42, more drug deals, more gambles, more everything. For Demi, the two weeks had been 336 hours of constant worry. She worried about her and Joe's friendship, and her two best friends that had been acting so completely different that she could barely recognize them. Miley had started to look skinnier and skinnier, making Demi feel helpless and jealous of her slimness, while Nick had made her feel scared and unwanted. The last two weeks for Joe, had been filled with love, lust, and worry. He worried about his brother and the N42, and he worried about Miley and her depression. Love and lust, the two things that Emily had brought to him, even though Demi still lurked in the back of his mind. He'd changed, he wasn't as much of the dork he used to be, thanks to Miley.

Demi walked into her and Miley's apartment, carrying two boxes of chinese take out, one for Miley, one for herself. Knocking on Miley's door, she heard a grunt and sighed, "hey, Miles, I have some Chinese take out, your favorite! Want some?"

"I ate a big lunch," Miley lied, burying herself under her blanket.

Her best friend cringed at the lie before sighing again, "okay, well, it'll be in front of your door if you want some...h-hey Miles?"

When she didn't get a reply, Demi put her head down and set the food on the floor, "don't forget about school, okay? Just because you're depressed, doesn't mean you should throw away your entire education, you've worked too hard for it."

Going to the dining room, she sat down and started to eat her dinner while taking out her textbook to work on a paper that was due in a few weeks. In high school, she was a huge procrastinator, but Joe had taught her that it was better to get a project done earlier rather than later, that way, if there was a problem, she could have time to fix it. She shook her head and mentally kicked herself, he'd been glued to her mind since he'd gotten his makeover, even though she knew how incredibly shallow that was. Here Joe was, this amazingly smart, funny guy, he'd always been like that, he'd had a quirky personality ever since she'd met him, even if he was socially awkward. So he was a great person who had a thing for her and she wasn't attracted to him until he'd gotten his make over, or had she been attracted to him before then? She wanted to think so, but knew that it wasn't the case. Now, she just missed him. She wished he could be next to her, studying along with her like they'd done so many times before.

Demi sighed and picked her phone up, she went through her contacts until she got to his and thought. She wanted to call him, to text him, but she'd done that already, more than once, and he hadn't returned her calls or texted her back, he'd just ignored her. Her heart longed for him, her arms ached to be wrapped around him in one of his giant bear hugs, she wanted to hear his laugh, she wanted to hear his long vocabulary words come out of his mouth, even if she didn't always know exactly what he was talking about- she missed his voice, she missed him.

Joe collapsed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Emily's bare body as he attempted to catch his breath. The blonde wrapped her arms around his bare torso and rested her head onto his naked chest. He stroked her arm as a smile crept to his lips. She looked up at him and giggled, leaning up, she pecked his lips and then pulled the blanket over them. His eyes were heavy with tiredness, but he didn't want to go to sleep. Actually, to be quite honest, he couldn't go to sleep, the face of a Latina was haunting him, even though she wasn't the woman he'd just made love to. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head while he watched her eyes close as she entered a dream state. Reaching over, he grabbed his phone and went through his phonebook, finding Demi's number, he contemplated. He shook his head, feeling disgusted with himself and put his phone back, there was this amazing woman who was lying next to him, but she wasn't enough, he had always told himself that, but never did anything about it. The woman that he wanted, didn't want him. The woman that he wanted, just wanted to be in the friend zone. He wanted to respect her wishes, but he couldn't, he couldn't be around her without wanting to hold her, like he was holding Emily. He missed her though, and it made his heart heavy.

His mind then switched gears and thought of Nick. He felt bad for his brother, he'd lost the girl of his dreams, and then, he felt guilty, why did his little brother loose the girl of his dreams? Because of him, and he couldn't do anything to take it back. His brother had taken the wrath of something that he'd done. No, of something that he'd seen. The gruesome scene that he'd witnessed. Nick had saved his life.

~Flashback~

As Joe walked home from a chess meet in the dark of night, he clutched his textbooks and walked as fast as he could. His father had promised him he'd pick him up so he didn't have to walk, but he'd forgotten or gotten caught up at work, but what else was new. Chess had been something that Paul had done, meaning that Joe thought he should do it too because that way, his father might pay attention to him more, approve of him more, but nothing changed, he was still just the middle child, the nobody, though it wasn't like Paul had really paid much attention to any of his children. Work was his main priority.

The seventeen year old boy walked as quickly as he could without slipping on the icy pavement. His hands ached from the freezing winter temperatures. Passing a building, he heard yelling and kept walking, darting, to be exact, Chicago at night. Not the safest place in the world. He heard footsteps behind him and a man ran passed him, accidentally knocking him over as he went. Three other men chased after him. One pulled out a gun and aimed it at the first one who was still running. Pulling the trigger, the bullet went flying through the air and Joe quietly crawled to a back alley to try and hide. A loud yell errupted through the air as the bullet pierced through the man's body, shredding through his skin. The once loud footsteps of the running man had stopped, the only sound heard was the sound of a limp body falling to the ground, along with the words of the three other men.

"SHIT," one exclaimed, "did you see the kid?"

Joe, being the skinny kid he was, crawled behind a large trash can and stayed there, trying to hold his breath so that when they came searching for him, they wouldn't find him. His heart stopped when he saw his little brother walking down the pathway, he wanted to yell, to scream to run back to the house, but it was too late, the three men grabbed him by the arms and threw him against a brick building. Joe wanted to move, to help his brother, but he was weak and cold and terrified. Nick stood up and looked at them confused.

"Is there an issue here," he asked them, putting on his tough guy fascade. He was the quarterback, he didn't get messed with so when he did, he was prepared to kill.

"We know you saw it," another man hissed.

Nick looked around confused and made eye contact with his brother, the only reason he knew where he was because they'd done everything together, and had hid from some creepers a few times behind the trash bins. He quickly took his eyes away and shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

They shook their heads and stuffed him into a car that came screeching around the bend. Four to one, Nick was strong, but he knew he was screwed so he just went with it.

"Oh my God," Joe whispered to himself, tears streaming down his cheeks, "what execrable circumstance have I effectuated? what execrable circumstance have I effectuated," he sobbed pulling his knees to his chest, "my young brother, my fourteen year old brother! He's lamented!"

After pulling himself together within the next hour, he dashed home and went into his little brother's room. He laid on the bed and held the pillow close to him, he'd stayed there, thinking that Nick was dead, but fifteen hours later, Nick came crawling in. Hearing the door open, Joe ran downstairs to explain to his mother that Nick had parished, but seeing his brother before him, he cringed. Blood dripped from his weak body while bruises covered him.

"Help me," Nick pleaded. Tears fell from Joe's brown eyes as he helped him to his room. Lying him on the bed, he went to get the first aid kit and cleaned out his brother's bruises. Turning him over, he gasped as he saw the two new tattoos inked into his skin.

"I'm branded," the younger one explained, "I'm part of a gang now. But I wouldn't change this, unless I could go back and make sure you didn't see what you saw, whatever you saw. I'm in a gang now, it was either that or death, and I can't put mom through that, I can't put you through that, or Kevin, or dad, or Frankie."

~End Of Flashback~

Goosebumps ran up and down Joe's arms while he thought about the things that Nick could've been doing in the gang. His little brother had never shared the details with him, the only thing he knew was that he was part of the gang, and that there was only one out: death. He wondered if Nick had blood on his hands and if he did, how many people he'd killed, he wondered how many packets of white powder Nick had sold, he wondered what kind of drugs Nick had sold, he wondered what kind of drugs Nick had taken. It was all too much for him. He hated himself for walking home that night, when he could've easily taken a taxi home, and then something came to him: Why had Nick been walking out and about so late?

Grabbing his phone, he pressed speed dial 2 and waited for his brother to pick up. It rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, until finally, Nick picked up.

"Hey, Joe," Nick greeted in a somber voice, "what's up, man?"

He bit his lip and sighed, "can we meet up somewhere?"

Nick looked around the club he'd dragged himself to and nodded, deciding that it'd be okay if he was to take a night off of partying, "sure, where?"

"Um...Starbucks?"

A chuckled ran off Nick's lips, "knew you were going to say that. Sure, I'll meet you there in ten." Hanging up, he left the bar and made his way to the coffee shop.

Joe slowly got out of Emily's grasp and quietly got up. He got dressed into a pair of jeans and a hoodie, with a pair of black converse and walked down the stairs and across the street to the shop. Walking in, he saw that Nick had ordered for the both of them and sat down across from him. He took the cup and smiled lightly, "thanks."

"No problem, so, what do you need to talk to me about," he asked taking a sip of his coffee.

The older brother examined his younger one and sighed. He wondered in the back of his mind if Nick was packing heat or not, but drank the thought away with a sip of his black coffee, "do you remember the night you...you entered the gang?"

Nick nodded, "like it was yesterday, why?"

"What were you doing out so late at night?"

Knowing that Joe already felt guitly for putting him in such a compromising position for the rest of his life, Nick debated on weather or not he should lie, but then realized that he shouldn't lie to him. He'd never lied to him before, at least not about the gang, "I was going to find you, to make sure you got home okay."

Joe stared down at the table, tears coming to his eyes, now he knew, it was completely his fault, "I am so contrite about this situation, Nick. I'm so sorry," he felt his heart beat increasing, "you shouldn't have to be in this circumstance."

"It's fine, dude, don't worry, okay? I'm used to this life now. It's not your fault. I went out to make sure you got home okay and you did get home okay. Alright? It's all good."

Joe cringed and shook his head, "but Miley..."

Now, it was Nick's turn to look down, he nodded his head slowly, his heart broke even more just hearing her name, "she deserves someone who can always protect her and isn't involved in the things that I'm involved in. She deserves the best, and that's most certainly not me, but um..." he cleared his throat, "how is she?"

Joe sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "she's awful, Nick. She hasn't left the apartment, she hasn't eaten, she stays in bed most of the time, and she says just about four words to Demi a day and that's it, unless I call or visit, then she says a few words to me. Nick, she needs you."

Nick shook his head, "but she doesn't. At least, she can't. She needs to get over me. What's going on with you and Emily?"

They spent the night catching up and talking about memories and random things, it was good for the both of them to get their minds off of the two girls that had stolen their hearts for a while, even if it was just for a few hours. Back at Demi and Miley's though, the only thing that was on their minds were Joe and Nick. And everyone knew that it was just going to get worse before it got better- if it ever did get better.

A/N: Amazed by how many reviews I've already gotten so I decided to upload this morning! Aw :( This chapter was depressing! But now you guys know how Nick became involved with the N42 and how Joe feels about it, I hope this makes up for last chapter's shortness! Do you guys have any suggestions on where you'd like this story to go or what you'd like to see? All of the main characters' lives suck right now! :/ How do you guys think it'll turn out? Will they end up together? Will they end up hating each other? Review! :)

Twitter:

WakingUp2Roses


	9. Chapter 9: Day Light

Nick packed his things and listened to music as he geared up to go to Chicago for a few weeks, there was a big trade coming up and he was ordered to go down and see that it one, got there and two, and most important, that the N42 was paid what they requested. He put a case of bullets into the bottom of his suitcase and stuffed the gun in his pocket. Seeing as the N42 had enough money to end world hunger and was a nationwide gang, they had private jets, so having a gun in your pocket wouldn't make you a terrorist. If you were to walk through American Airlines for example with a 49 caliber in your pocket, you'd be pinned down and prosecuted right on the scene. Six weeks ago, he would've never been chosen to oversee a project this big, but ever since Miley and he stopped talking five weeks ago, his association with the gang had increased and his operations had gotten bigger along with that.

Joe sighed and watched as Nick packed his things, he watched as his little brother stuffed a gun into his pocket as if it was nothing and winced as realized that these last few moments he had with him could be the last time he'd see Nick again. Joe didn't know what Nick was doing, he just knew that it was dangerous. Again, the guilt came on as he realized that if it hadn't been for his stupidity and shyness that Nick wouldn't have been in this mess, he would've been.

"You know, you could stay," the older brother recommended, thoguh he knew that this was something Nick couldn't say no to or else Devlin and the other head members would question his loyalty.

"It'll be fine, Joe, alright? I'll be back in five weeks tops and I'll call you whenever I can," he zipped his large black suitcase and picked up a picture of Miley and him that rested on his bedside table. Joe had taken the photo, Nick was leaning up against the bottom of a rocky oceanside cliff and Miley was resting on his chest, her body in between his legs. His arms were wrapped around her sides and his hands were folded together at her stomach. The photo had been taken a few feet away, capturing the two best friends along with the tide and the sunset background. He took the picture out of the frame and put it in his back pocket.

"Dude, you're going to leave without saying goodbye to her?"

"I haven't said anything to her in the past five weeks. She won't talk to me," he snapped, "what am I supposed to say, 'I know we aren't friends anymore, but I'd just like to tell you that I'm going to be gone for a few weeks in Chicago trading a crate of drugs that's coming off a boat with another gang'. Come on, Joe, you're smart. Think before you speak." His voice was sharp and angry, he let out a sigh and looked at his brother, "I'm sorry," he said weakly.

"It's okay. I get it. I'm there with Demi too. Not as intensely, but it's about the same. But look, you and Miley are best friends, okay? I don't care if you're not on speaking terms at the moment. You should talk to her, weather it's when you come back or before you leave, something has to happen because right now, you're both miserable and that's just not fun for anyone," Joe explained, hoping that things could mull over with his best friend and brother, his two confidants.

"Look," he sighed, "just look after her when I'm gone, okay? Since I'm not going to be in town, enemies might start to come knocking on her door again and last time, she was terrified for weeks, so please, jus-"

"Don't worry, I've got it. No one will hurt her. But umm... I have to go. I'm supposed to meet with my study group later," he lied, "have a good trip, if I don't see you before you leave and remember to call, okay?"

He wrapped his arms around him in a big bear hug and Nick wrapped his arms around him too, hugging back. Though it was unspoken words, they were both curious as to weather or not that was the last hug that they would ever share. After a few moments, they pulled away and Joe walked out. Taking a taxi, he went to Miley's apartment and knocked on the door. Eventually, Miley opened the door wearing a pair of sweats and a white v-neck tee, that was clearly Nick's.

"Joe," she smiled lightly, "h-"

"Nick's in a gang," he blurted before he covered his mouth, "shoot! That's not how I wanted you to find out," he sighed, "I didn't mean to spring it on you like that, I had a whole speach planned out."

"W-What," Miley asked confused.

Leading her over to the couch, he explained to her all of the details that he knew about Nick's involvement in the N42. How he was branded into the gang when he was just a kid, everything that Joe knew about Nick's tasks in the gang, and how Chicago was expecting a boat of drugs that Nick was going to help trade. Miley just listened and tried to wrap her head around the information. Never had she ever thought that the words "gang" and "Nick" would be put in the same sentence. Unless the sentence was along the lines of "Nick is not in a gang" or "Nick and the gang..." that gang being she, Demi, and Joe. She was shocked and speechless, not knowing what to say.

"He leaves tomorrow," Joe added.

The blue eyed woman nodded and stood up, "thanks...for telling me..." she responded awkwardly, "I um... I should go study for our finals." And with that, she went into her room and didn't come out.

Joe groaned and left. He wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision or not, but at least now she knew. Going back to Nick's, he knocked on the door and waited for Nick to answer. Once he did, he saw the guilt in Joe's eyes and paused, "what'd you do?"

"I told her," he muttered quietly. If he was a dog, his tail would be tucked into his legs right now and his head would be down, as if he'd broken the family's favorited lamp. However in this case, he may've broken Nick and Miley's friendship forever.

Nick shook his head, "no you didn't. I know you didn't. Because after everything I've done for you, that would just be unfair and an awful thing to do. So I know that you didn't because you're not like that."

"I'm sorry," Joe apologized, his voice almost inaudible.

Nick stalled and just stared at his older brother hurt, "why? What made you go and do that? What could've possibly made you to do that?"

"I thought she should know."

"That wasn't your place."

"I though it'd make things better."

"You're supposed to be the smartest guy I know," Nick groaned, "yet that was just the dumbest move in the entire book. If she opens her mouth and tells anyone else, she's dead, do you realize that? They'll rape her and then they'll pop a bullet into her skull."

"She knows better than to talk. Plus, she didn't seem to believe it anyways."

Nick sarcastically laughed and shook his head, "because she thinks I walk on water! In her eyes, I'm perfect and now, now everything's just ruined."

Joe groaned, "I'm sorry! Look, just go over there and talk to her! She's not Devlin, alright? She doesn't just carry guns around, the worst she could do to you is slap you and slam the door in your face."

"Yeah, after telling me that she never wants to see me again."

Joe paused, "but she's already said that..."

Nick sighed, "yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know. Now go," he sighed pushing his brother through the door.

Nick groaned, "I hate you," he said, obviously being facetious, and walked out. The only light that danced down on the streets and sidewalks of the city were streetlights and lights from cars. It had turned ten when Nick made it to Miley's house. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, only to feel the cold metal of his weapon, he kicked himself for forgetting it was there and stuffed it in the bushes, not wanting it to go into Miley's. Trudging his feet into the elevator, he pressed the third floor and waited. Claiming that Nick was nervous was a large understatement, he was shaking and his head was whirling. When the elevator opened, he got off and walked up to her door.

Knocking, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Miley had just finished her dinner and had been watching a television show when Nick knocked. Grabbing her gun, hesitant of life since Joe had told her about Nick, she opened the door and tightened her grip on the revolver, hiding it behind her back. Seeing Nick, she held the gun up, her hands shaky.

"Go away," she ordered terrified.

Nick looked at her confused, wondering when she'd gotten a gun, "Mi, come on. I'm not going to hurt you."

Miley hesitated, but kept the weapon up as she looked into his eyes, "I said go away!"

Guessing that it wasn't loaded, he walked in and took the gun from her hands. He shut the door and locked it before putting the gun on the kitchen counter and looking at her, "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated, "you know that."

"Do I? Because I thought I did. I thought that you would never hurt me, but here I am, being cooped up in my room, wearing sweats and your shirts all them time, trying to do anything to feel better, but I can't because you hurt me. And then, your brother tells me that your in a gang and I start to question ever single second that we ever spent together! Every second! Do you know what that's like?!"

He sighed, "Mi..."

"No, no, don't 'Mi' me!"

He sighed again and put his hand on her waist. She felt the warmth of his hand and tensed up a bit, "s-stop, don't touch me."

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he stepped closer to her, "for everything, I'm sorry sorry," his voice broke a bit as a tear fell from his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, "something in my eye," he explained, though she knew he was lying. She bit her lip, wanting to give into him, but knowing that he had lied to her. "Miley, I swear to you, I never wanted to break your heart. If it was up to me, which it isn't, I wouldn't be in a gang and you've would've been my girl a long time ago. But it's not up to me," he repeated, "it's not, and that's just simply how my life has to be, and I'm sorry for that too."

"Stop saying stuff like that. Stop lying to me."

"I'm not lying. Miley," he looked into her eyes, "I love you."

She crossed her arms, "yeah, right," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah...right..." he nodded, "Miley, I do. I love you. I've always loved you and we have tonight and that's it so you can kick me out, you can tell me that you love me, if you do, or we could just catch up, but at least I can leave tomorrow and know that you know how I feel and how sorry I am. Well, maybe not how sorry I am, but that I'm sorry...really, really, really, sorry."

She looked up at him, "and why should I believe any of this?"

"Because, Mi," he sighed, "it's me. It's Nick. You know me better than-"

"You know yourself," she asked finishing his sentence, "yeah, I thought I did too, but I don't."

"No, you may not've known everything, but you still know me better than anyone else, even Joe. Come on," he sighed, "please, we have this night."

She bit her lip, "fine." She looked down, "have a safe flight..." she went into her room and shut the door behind her.

Nick's heart broke as he watched her walk away, he wanted to scream, to fight for her, but he knew that her stubbornness would win if he did or didn't fight for her to stay. He sighed and walked out of the apartment. Walking down the hall, he heard footsteps behind him and turned around confused. Miley was running towards him, full speed, and when she got to him, she put her hand on the back of his neck and stood up on her tippy toes, she looked into his eyes for a moment before she shut them as their lips met in a soft, loving kiss. He picked her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist and rubbed her side as they gently kissed. Walking into her apartment, he shut the door and locked it, never breaking the kiss.

After a while, Miley pulled away for air and rested her forehead on his, "I love you too," she whispered putting her hand on his cheek and kissing him again, "just tonight," she whispered, "just tonight." She kissed him again as she gently rubbed his cheek.

Miley breathlessly landed on the bed without breaking the kiss and pulled Nick down with her. Their breaths hitched as their hands traveled down each other's bodies. Nick began to undress Miley, taking off one article of clothing at a time, exploring her skin, running his fingers down her, finding her weak points and placing scattered kisses all over. Miley pulled the white tee over his head and ran her hands down his chiseled chest, tracing his muscles and planting kisses on his warm skin. Fumbling with his belt buckle, Nick helped her, removing the accessory and throwing it to the ground, a loud thud was heard as the leather smacked the floor, but they were too busy with the other to care. Soon, his jeans were off, leaving Miley in her black lace underwear and Nick in his gray boxer briefs.

He placed his forehead on her's while he hovered over her, attempting to catch his breath, he looked into her eyes and she looked into his, "a-are you sure," the bad boy whispered huskily.

She nodded and put her hand on the back of his neck, pulling his head down, she bit her lip and whispered into his ear one simple command that gave him the go ahead, "make love to me."

With that, he kissed her neck, attempting to find her sweet spot, when she let out a loud cry, he knew he found it and as he sucked it lightly, she turned her head to grant him more access.

"I love you so much," he whispered onto her skin.

She smiled, her hand snaked down his back, rubbing it lightly. The words, "I love you too," ran off her lips, letting out another moan, she arched her back, and played with the waistband of his briefs.

His mouth began to make a faint trail of kisses down her neck and chest, a soft giggle from Miley echoed through the apartment, Nick smiled and stopped lining kisses when he got to the waistband of her underwear.

"Take it off," she whispered

Obeying her orders, he grabbed the garment with his teeth and gently slid it down her leg, lightly scraping his teeth seductively down her leg as he dragged the material. Once it was off, he placed a trail of kisses up her body, by the time he reached her lips, Miley had already grabbed ahold of his briefs with her toes and had slid them down, running her feet ghostly down his legs. When they landed on the floor, he kissed her lovingly and spread her legs, putting one on his shoulder and one on his waist. Pulling away, his eyes met hers again, asking for approval one last time. She bit her lip and nodded, placing her lips on his again.

He pulled away one last time and groaned quietly, "we need protection."

"I'm on the pill," she explained.

Nick looked at her confused, "you have sex?" A pang of jealous hit his gut and he looked down at her bare stomach.

Miley laughed and hit his arm, "if you must know, it's for my period. I haven't had sex since senior year of high school with…"

His brown eyes widened, "w-wow. That's a really long time."

"I know," she smirked, "so you better make it good," she laughed, teasingly, already knowing from his boastful stories that he's made girls scream before.

"You know I will," he smirked cockily.

She hit his arm again and brought her hand down to his manhood, until her hand wrapped around his hard rod, though she knew he was turned on, she hadn't realized how big and thick, or how hard he frugally was. He bit his lip and moaned, her hand traveled up and down, squeezing as he went. Sinking his head into her breasts, she gasped as he worked wonders with his lips, teeth, tongue, and mouth in general. When they were both at their weakest points, Nick looked into her eyes and entered his shaft into her core. She let out a whimper as he tore her skin, a tear ran down her cheek and she winced.

He paused, realizing he was hurting her, "I can stop if you want me to."

She quickly shook her head, "no," she begged, "don't. Just go."

Intertwining their fingers, he extended his arms so that their hands were resting above her head on either side. Starting at a slow pace, he slowly went in and out, letting her files get used to him. After a few times, pleasure substituted the discomfort and she let out a moan, arching her back yet again. Smiling, he increased his pace a bit, sliding in and out of her wet folds quicker.

"Faster," she pleaded as her hips started to move with his.

Moving his hips quicker, he went as fast as he could. Letting out a moan, he kissed her neck as he whispered sweet things into her ears. Moments later, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he found her spot.

"Don't stop," she cried, "Nicky, I'm gonna..." she gasped.

"Wait, not yet," he said quietly, moving into a better position, he put his hands back on her hips and went so hard that the sound of their skin hitting each other could be heard throughout the apartment. Her legs tightened around his waist as a scream and then calls of his name erupted from her lips when her earth shattering orgasm occurred. Nick watched her face contort as he too threw his head back and moaned her name as he succumbed to the intensity of the situation.

After, he collapsed onto her chest as they stayed connected. Miley whimpered while her body shook from the aftershock of her orgasm.

"I love you," he panted onto her skin. His chin rested on her shoulder while his lips were directed toward her ear.

Another tear escaped her tired eyes, "don't leave," she pleaded, "please don't leave."

He intertwined their legs and moved his head to look into her eyes, "don't think about that, baby," he whispered placing a gentle kiss onto her lips.

"I love you," she whispered, watching him wipe away her tears, "I love you more than anything."

"Not as much as I love you," he whispered stroking her hair.

She flipped them over and pulled him out of her, but realizing that she enjoyed the contact too much, she put him back in and laid beside him so that he was lying on his side facing her and she was lying on her side facing him. Her leg rested on his hip and his leg weaves in between her legs so that they were still connected.

Their eyes met and she bit her lip, "at least let me come with you."

"It's too dangerous, beautiful," he explained while he stroked her hair.

Too tired to argue, she buried her head into his chest and fell asleep with his arms wrapped around her. Again, she felt at home. And though she knew that the feeling would leave again in a few hours, she didn't want to think about that. She just wanted to think of the present, of right then, she just wanted to think of how she'd just made love to the man she loves, and nothing else. She wanted to fall asleep in those strong arms of his, with their legs bound together, and their bodies connected. Actually, Miley wanted to freeze time and stay with Nick holding her like this forever, but the reality was that there was a tomorrow. And tomorrow, though neither of them wanted to face it, he'd be getting on a plane and flying to Chicago, leaving each other once again.

A/N: So, here's another chapter :) How'd you guys like it? Please tell me in a review! And thank you for all your other reviews too! How's school going for you guys? I started Wednesday :/ Senior year though, so that's a plus! :) Have a fantastic weekend and I'll try to post soon! :)


	10. Chapter 10: Me Without You

Nick slowly awoke from his dream state and slowly opened his eyes, a small smile emerged from his still swollen lips as he looked down. A head of chestnut-colored hair was draped over his chest and her small arms were wrapped around his waist while his arms were wrapped around his waist. He'd woken up several times in her bed, or with her in his, but this time was different, much different. It was bittersweet, there was so many feelings rushing through his body. Happiness ran through his veins as his fantasies had been fulfilled last night, he'd made love to Miley, and they loved each other. Chicago, however, was the last place that he'd wanted to go; for one, he didn't want to leave her, and two, he didn't want to go, he didn't want to leave Miley. There was a gang war going on and the last thing he wanted to do was leave Miley without his protection.

He slipped out of her arms and looked around for his boxers. Finding them on top of the tv, he laughed lightly and shook his head. Putting his boxers on, he started to slide his jeans on too and loop his belt through the loops, facing his back to the bed. Feeling two warm hands come into contact with his back, he smiled as she moved close so their bodies were touching and kissed across his upper back. She stopped at his tattoos and sighed, her breath ran down his spine, making him shiver. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked into her heartbroken eyes.

"Morning," he smiled lightly.

She sighed worriedly and looked into Nick's eyes, "Nick, I love you. You can't go, please," Miley begged, "please don't go," a tear rand down her cheek, "please," she whispered, "I can't loose you too."

He shook his head, "I have to go, baby, this is something I have to do, okay? If I don't, he's going to hurt you, or Demi, or Joe, or someone that I love, okay? I have to go, I'll be back in a few weeks."

"I don't think I can go a few weeks without you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her lips met his for a split second and she smiled lightly, "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered kissing her.

Smiling lightly, she kissed back, tears still falling down her cheeks, deepening the kiss a bit before she pulled away and smirked, "you know, if i come with you, you could have as many kisses as you wanted. I wouldn't even get in the way of your business, even if I hate it and think you should get out, Joe explained to me that you can't. And I think that what you're doing for your brother is noble and just makes you even more attractive than you already are," she laughed lightly, "come on, just let me come with you, please," she begged.

He sighed, "it's dangerous, baby."

"Crossing the street is dangerous, that doesn't mean you don't cross the street."

"It's different and you know it," he sighed wrapping his arms around her waist.

She shook her head, "I don't care. I want to come and you know that fighting this isn't going to get you anywhere."

"You're right," he sighed, "you are stubborn, but I'm not going to give in, Mi. You don't belong in Chicago, especially now."

Grabbing his coat, he put it on and pulled her close, he kissed her as passionately as he could, not knowing whether or not it'd be their last kiss, if this would be his last moments with her. Moaning lightly, she kissed him back and held onto his jacket while her knees wobbled a bit. After a bit, she pulled away and rested her forehead on his.

"I hate you for leaving me," she whispered, her voice breaking. A tear fell down her cheeks and he sighed, wiping them away.

He pecked her lips once more, "I hate myself for leaving too."

With that, he backed away and walked to the door, Miley's stomach churned as she watched him walk out the door. His head of curls turned once more to look at her before he smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Miley slid down the wall and put her knees up to her chest, letting the tears fall as she wrapped her tiny arms around her folded legs. Going to her room, she buried herself within the mess of covers and sheets that were all tied together from their actions. Miley held a tan pillow close to her body and inhaled the scent, Nick's scent. He was her strength and she prayed to God he'd come home safe because if he didn't, her world would come crashing down.

Nick boarded the plane with many other members of the N42 and looked out the window. He was happy that Miley was his, but he didn't want to leave. It wasn't fair, he thought. She'd been calling out his name just hours ago and now, he had to leave and he didn't know how long he'd be gone or even if he'd come back. Then, he wondered if he wanted to come back.

Last night had been the best night of his life, but he knew Miley deserved better than a gang man, she deserved a real gentleman, one who could love her, protect her, and a man who wasn't wrapped up in the dark side of society. They'd talked about kids once, during a game of 20 questions, Miley spoke of the white picket fence, two story house, with the basketball net in the driveway, the blue minivan, and four kids. He knew he couldn't ever give that to her. The N42 had stripped him of any chance of a family he could call his own. Sure, they could live in a New York apartment with a baby, but even then, Nick would worry he was putting Miley and their child in danger.

Shaking his head, he let out a light laugh, thinking of how he'd just contemplated having children with Miley when they're dating relationship had just started. He wanted it though, he wanted her for life, not the gang, he wanted a family with her, he wanted a life with her- one that didn't involve the N42. Watching the plane take off, he looked over the city he called home and sighed.

-2 Weeks Later-

Nick and the rest of his men got out of the black car and put their hands on their guns. The sun had been down for hours, the only light was the stars and their car's headlights that head just been turned off. Walking over to the large crate, he took the key that Devlin had given him out of his pocket and opened the doors, revealing more drugs than he had ever seen. Drugs weren't the only supplies in the crate, however, there were also numerous guns and different types of bullets. The men looked at them confused before turning to look at one another.

"Did anyone know about this," Nick asked roughly tot he other group members. They all shook their head, "fantastic," he mumbled.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he walked out to the pier, two security men following him. He pressed 4, the speed dial for Devlin and waited. Once he answered, he questioned him about the surprises in the crates and when he heard that they were to bring them back to the streets of New York, he gawked for a moment before nodding and walking back to the others.

"Stash them in the trunk. Now," he ordered as he watched the others obey him. Although he wasn't fond of his situation, he liked the amount of respect he'd gained from the members, so much so that they did whatever he told them to do.

Hearing another car come up, Nick walked over to the main leader of the 904, an alliance gang with the N42, unless fucked with, and nodded to him, "it's all there."

The man nodded and gave Nick a check. Taking it, the curly haired man scoffed and ripped up the paper note for $900,000, "do I look stupid do you," he wondered glaring at the stranger, "do you know what my ass would look like if I came back with a fucking check? We said money. Hard cash. And not $900,000, 1 mil. If you don't have it, then you need to get it, by tomorrow," he grumbled, "I have a life I'd like to return to that doesn't involve your sorry ass self."

"We ain't got your money."

"Then you better hope the tooth fairy treats you well tonight and gives you a big bag full of cash because until you get that, you and this pathetic gang squabble of your's are going to have one hell of a scare."

They nodded and started walking away.

Maxwell, a member of Nick's gang took his gun out, "where the fuck you think you're goin'," he snapped, "we want our money."

"We ain't got your money!"

The next thing Nick knew, shots were fired, starting from the N42 and continuing from the 904. He took his gun out and started firing randomly too, but before he knew it, he dropped to the ground, a sharp pain shooting up his body like a bolt of lightning, looking up at the sky, his vision became blurry, and he felt cold and light. Although he tried to keep his eyes open, they grew heavy with tiredness and shock and slowly closed, letting the darkness engulf. His last thought, his last vision was of blue eyes with a loud laugh entranced in there somewhere. Just her eyes. Miley's eyes. That's all he needed, he just needed her to look at him the way she does and his life was satisfied. The real question now though was, is his life over?

**A/N: SORRY FOR THE DELAYED UPDATE! Oh gosh, I feel terrible! I'm so sorry! It's just that it's my senior year and it's so damn busy! I hope you guys didn't give up on this story. I was going to go down a whole other route with it at first, but then I thought of a better way to go about this story and so I know what I want to have happen. What's your guys' take? Is Nick okay? is he dead? What will Devlin say? What is the N42 going to do? What is Miley going to do? How do you think Miley's feeling when she's in New York without him? Let me know in a review! I appreciate all of you that take the time out of your lives to read or review. I PROMISE I'LL TRY AND UPLOAD QUICKER! Have a fantastic week!**


	11. Chapter 11: Changes

Nick quietly groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to the bright light of the hospital room. A few nurses were in the room and smiled lightly as he awoke. He remembered everything, the deal gone bad, the bullet, the piercing pain, and those blue eyes.

"Ah, he's awake," an older nurse with a flower print scrub top and purple scrub pants smiled, some of her gray hair had escaped her pony tail and had shaped around her tan skin. Her eyes were kind and her smile was pure.

"How long was I out," Nick asked, his voice stale and raspy. His throat hurt, he desperately needed some water. As if she'd read his mind, the nurse handed him a plastic cup filled with cool water. He smiled lightly and took a few sips. He was so sore and the bandaged wrapped around his midsection irritated his skin.

"How long was I out for?"

"Three days. You're lucky you survived. Do you remember what happened?"

Nick shook his head innocently, "nothing. I just remember takin a walk for a bit after leaving my hotel." He slowly turned his stiff neck in search of his phone, "I need to call someone."

"Sure, but first, I have a few questions. What's your name?"

He contemplated what to do in this situation. Should he give her his real name? If he did, enemies could call in search of him and string the information out of the receptionist somehow, or Devlin could call and find him, he just wanted to be with his family right now. He didn't want any gang confrontations at the moment. Then, another thought came to his mind. Doctors and police usually checked the person's coat and pockets for a phone or wallet, anything to characterize the victim, but they didn't know what his name was? His wallet and phone must've been stolen then. _Great_, he sighed.

"Nate. Nathan Grey." He'd gone by that name before, made sure it was in the system and flew with it. He and Joe both agreed that it'd be safer if he had a pseudonym he could use in case of an emergency. Now, seemed like a pretty important time to put it to use.

The nurse wrote it down, "age?"

"23."

She wrote that down too. "Residential city?"

"Los Angeles. Listen, can I please make a call now? I really need to make a call."

The nurse motioned to the odd hospital phone beside him. Picking it up, he dialed the number he knew from heart. Miley's.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

His pulse quickened, she needed to answer, the longer he waited, the more alert he became, the more he felt the pain he was in. Wanting to ignore it, he focused on the call. _Please, _he begged inside his head, _pick up_. The nurse left to go fetch the doctor and let "Nate" have his privacy.

"Hello," a tattered voice answered. He winced, he was the one who'd been shot. Not Miley. So why did her voice sound like she was in more pain than he was? The sound of sniffling was heard on the other line, making him wince again, she'd been crying. "Hello," she asked again.

He just listened to her, he tired to speak, but he couldn't. His heart ripped, he'd done this, he made her like this. She was crying because of him, because she was scared something terrible had happened to him, she was scared she wasn't ever going to hear from him again, terrified at the thought that he was dead. Nick had promised to call her twice a day; once in the morning, once at night. That meant he'd kissed six calls. Miley had already been edge about him going to Chicago. She would've been stressed out if he's missed one call, because he'd promised her he'd call, and he wouldn't break that promise to her. Now she was crying and he couldn't hold her and tell her everything was going to he okay.

"Anyone there?"

He took a breath and sighed aloud, "Mi."

Miley's body flooded with relief, it was him. He'd called. She'd been clutching her phone for the past 72 hours. Every time it had vibrated, she told herself it was Nick, until she picked up or read the text and re been mostly Joe or Demi, ranting about how the other one was getting on their last nerve. Couldn't they see she didn't care about their relationship or not so relationship at the time? The only thing she cared about, the only thing she wanted was just a sign that Nick was still alive. Her tears streamed down her face faster as she let out a sob.

"Nick. Oh, Nick, I was so worried. I thought something terrible had happened to you. I thought you were dead."

Then, she wiped her tears and put her hand on her hip and stood up straight, her blood boiling. He was alive. He was alive and hadnt called. What? Did he just "forget" for three days that he'd promised to call and was calling now to apologize? And what was this strange number he was calling from? One of his so-called "friends" (A.K.A. sluts who'd do anything he wanted them to)? Had he found another girl in Chicago and called to say he wasn't coming home?

"NICHOLAS. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN," she screamed, "I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF IS 'MI'?! SERIOUSLY? YOU'RE LUCKY WE ARE IN DIFFERENT PLACES BECAUSE IF I WAS HEAR YOU RIGHT NOW, I'D CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Nick wondered what head she was talking about and laughed lightly at her bipolar attitude. It hurt him to laugh so he stopped and tried to figure out where to start.

"I've been unconscious for the past three days, Miles. I promised you I'd call everyday, twice a day, if I was okay. I was shot and am at the hospital," he explained calmly.

She froze. _He'd been shot? _He told her that everything was going to be just fine and he'd be back in a few weeks after his operation was finished...in what world was Nick getting shot "just fine"? Miley's jaw hardened as her anger rose, "who shot you?"

"One of the guys we were conducting business with. Things didn't go as planned, they didn't have all the money we needed and then all hell broke loose. Can you come? With Joe and Demi?"

She sighed. All she wanted to do was hop on a plane that very second and run into his arms, but her boyfriend had been shot. _**Her boyfriend had been shot. **_People who knew Miley knew that she could be vulnerable, that she was vulnerable, but if someone messed with something or someone that was important to Miley, they better hide because she'd eat them alive. She knew that she needed to harden up. Throw her weaknesses out the window, tie her feelings into fire wood and toss it into the wood stove. She was going to make people pay. The thought made her internally laugh a bit, this wasn't anything she'd dealt with before. Pretty prats who fucked with her siblings wasn't what she was dealing with anymore. Now, it was gang bangers. She was Miley, 120 pounds, and not in any shape to go into a battle in the big time leagues of gangs. She knew that there was no way she could take the entire N42 down. All she needed to do was get Nick out of the N42, she was cleaver, she'd come up with something. Right now though, she needed to go see Nick, he at his bedside, and get useful information.

"We'lll be there as soon as I can, okay? We'll take the next flight out."

"Nate Grey. My name is Nate Grey."

She nodded, "okay. I'll see you in a few hours. I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered before hanging up.

The nurse walked back into the room with the doctor who started to run some tests and examine Nick's wounds. Nick looked at the nurse.

"My girlfriend is flying here. She'll be here in a few hours."

"Okay. Name?"

He gulped, _shit_. The N42, Devlin, especially, knew that Miley was his weakness. He'd be checking every place in Chicago for him, which mean he'd check every place for Joe, Demi, and Miley as well.

"Brook Maddison," he said, spitting out the first thing he could think of.

The nurse jotted the name down on his records and helped the doctor fun some more tests. Once they were done, the doctor, a sophisticated man who looked to be in his late fifties looked down at him.

"You are very lucky, Mr. Grey, not many people would've survived that gun shot wound, it hit a few inches away from some vital organs. And considering the fact that the police were notified about you hours after the incident, you would've bled out and died right on that pavement."

Nick nodded, "thank you, doctor."

Five hours later, the nurse came in with "Brooke" a mess of a college girl who had been scared to death that her lover was t going to make it. She ran over to him and cupped her cheeks. She crushed their lips together and kissed him softly, a tear falling down her cheek. She hated it. She wanted to be strong for him and she would be, but this was Nick.

"You had me so worried," she cried out a few moments after they had pulled away, "don't ever do that to he again, Nicholas Jerry. Understand?"

"Sorry," he chucked, "wasn't exactly my idea to get shot, you know."

"Oh, I know." Miley looked around the room and after seeing that the nurse was gone, she looked at him with a stoney gaze, "I'm going to kill them. Joe and Demi are here. At the hotel. We're going to take them down."

"Miles, I love you, but-"

"No. They hurt you. Joe's trying to hack into their systems as we speak. Thank God your brother is a genius, though I hope he and Demi aren't killing each other," she laughed.

**A/N: I apologize for the lateness. I know I was leaving you all hanging on the edge of a cliff. There's really no excuse for it. I just haven't been in the mood to write I guess. And I wrote this chapter before and I didn't like the way it turned out. Happy Christmas! Well. Soon. :) Thanks for reading! Enjoy the holidays!**

**Peace. Love. Niley.**

**Twitter:**

**WakingUp2Roses**


	12. Just Checking In

Hey guys,

I know I haven't updated in a really long time, I'm sorry. I had massive writer's block, I was lazy, and I had a lot going on at home. If I started this story back up, would you guys read it?

Depending on how many responses I get to this, I'll try to update within the next week, but I'm not sure if this story has any fans left.

Please let me know!

Thanks!


	13. Chapter 12: Scheming

A week later, after other N42 members had dealt with the other gang, the four were at the girls' apartment, trying to think of a way to take the N42 down.

Joe, being the genius child he was, stood in front of a whiteboard trying to figure out a math calculation that could help solve the issue. Because according to Joe, anything and everything could be solved by calculations and theories. Unfortunately, so far, he was coming up blank. He was getting frustrated though. Really frustrated. The only thing he wanted to do was protect his brother, he got him into this mess, it was his job to get him out- or so he thought. Joe was Joe though, he was awkward and quiet and although he knew logic and theories, he didn't know the first thing about impulses and the psyche of a mastermind gang that was planted in all the major cities throughout the country. Groaning, he erased the whiteboard and stared at the clean slate.

Miley was looking at fashion magazines with Demi, trying to think of a way to relate her realm with her boyfriend's, but she had no such luck. Gucci, nor Prada, could solve this mess. A short red feisty skirt couldn't either. And Demi was thinking the same thing. Except with one difference, Miley was searching through trying to get an answer about her boyfriend, while Demi was trying to get an answer about her best friend. How was this different? Demi kept glancing over at Joe every few minutes, his new hair cut and starting-to-be-buff arms still irking her with sexual tension while Miley's head was 100% in the game.

Nick looked at the three of them and sighed. He looked into their eyes and cringed. They were terrified and he'd created this mess. Chicago was pointless for their plotting, they knew no one and no where, but in New York, they knew people and places. Tactical places. And tactical people. In New York, in the "City That Never Sleeps," they could plot. And scheme. And actually get somewhere…hopefully.

Joe groaned again and pushed the whiteboard, punching the wall with his fist, luckily causing no break or damage. The noise, however, the sound of his fist on wall made the others jump and snap their heads to look at him.

Demi walked over, attempting to try again, she put her hand on his arm and rubbed it gently, "we'll think of something," she said quietly.

"Yeah?!" He barked back in an angered tone, snatching his arm away from hers, "when?! I'm bored of waiting for something to occur! He is supposed to be normal! The only worries my little brother should have is what he's getting Miley for Valentines Day or his exam coming up! But instead, here we are, conspiring a way to relieve my brother from the treacherous grounds and grasp of the N42. And don't even get me started with you. I changed for you and had this whole makeover an-"

He paused. It wasn't a theory. Or a math problem. It was the same situation he'd been in a few months before except reversed. He'd figured out what the solution to the problem was. The girls. Makeovers. He smirked and looked at Nick, "I have just had the most brilliant of ideas."

"That's great, but stop talking like that, man," Nick chuckled.

Joe nodded, "my apologies-" he cleared his throat, "sorry. So, here's what I'm thinking. Miley. She's the solution. We give her a make over. Make her look like a damsel in distress. Have her walk near the warehouse crying and stumbling around. One of the guys will pick her up, bring her in- I can give her a brand new identity!"

"No," Nick snapped, "Miley isn't going anywhere near the warehouse."

"Babe," Miley sighed, "this actually sounds like a great ide-"

"No," Nick repeated.

"I'll do it anyways. Whether you actually want me to or not," Miley snapped after pausing for a few moments.

Nick looked at her and blinked, surprised at Miley's change in character, "I don't want you to get involved. I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Anything that gets you out is worth it," she said quietly before looking to Joe, "so what do we do?"

**A/N: I know, I know. This was really short and I'm sorry. I just wanted to show you guys that I'm actually trying to write and stay on top of FanFics. But I'm super busy and I'm sorry. Senior year is hard work. More will be out soon, I promise. And I'm writing my Letters To You chapter so that will be coming out soon too. Thank you for reading and I really am sorry. I'll try to write whenever I can. Please review! **

**Peace. Love. Niley.**

**Twitter:**

**WakingUp2Roses**


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